The Softronic company from Craiova, which produces locomotives, is the first beneficiary in Romania of the de minimis aid for increasing the competitiveness of industrial products, the financing contract being signed on Tuesday, at the company's headquarters, by its representatives and Minister of Economy Florin Spataru."It is the first financing contract for the state aid scheme for increasing competitiveness and I am glad that the first beneficiary of this scheme is a Romanian company with whom I discussed the possibility of development, because the transport sector is a strategic sector for Romania, and the production of locomotives and their maintenance in a company in Romania is an important goal for us. Through this state aid scheme, Softronic will be able to develop a very interesting project and I hope that in the very near future we will see locomotives with hydrogen-based propulsion, high-capacity electric locomotives to be used by Romanian companies in the Romanian railway system," said the minister of economy.According to him, the contract has a value of 200,000 EUR and represents a first stage for the development of the competitiveness of this company through innovation projects."This de minimis scheme has a value of 6 million EUR. I hope that the vast majority of companies that will apply will be companies with Romanian capital. They will be able to develop their laboratories, management systems, but also purchase products or equipment that could increase their competitiveness. That is why he said that it is important for Softronic to develop its ability to access very large projects such as schemes for the manufacturing industry with a minimum value of 3 million EUR. And if you have this hall and develop this production capacity with a green component that reduces energy consumption, practically Softronic could become an important player on the market of railway products," the minister of economy also stated.Florin Spataru said that the second call for state aid schemes for the manufacturing industry, worth 150 million EUR, will begin on February 1, now that the evaluation for the first stage has been done, in which there are 28 companies that have met the score maximum and for which the differentiation will have to be made.The representative of the Softronic company, Ionel Ghita, stated that this company with 100% Romanian capital exports locomotives to Sweden, Austria, Hungary and, more recently, Bulgaria.
Romanian deep-tech startup .lumen, the developer of what it says are the world’s first AI-powered glasses for the blind, has secured a new investment from EIT Urban Mobility, the European innovation community focused on advancing sustainable and inclusive urban mobility solutions. The value of the new funding round was not disclosed. The investment aligns with […]
The health spending per capita in Romania was the lowest in the EU, with spending less than half the EU average in 2023, the recently released report, State of Health in the EU - Romania Country Health Profile 2025, shows. At the same time, life expectancy in Romania is 5.1 years below the EU average, […]
Romania’s annual inflation rate stood at roughly 9.8% in November 2025, similar to October, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). Food prices increased by 7.6% last month, while services rose roughly 11% and non-food goods climbed 10.7%. The consumer price index rose by 0.42% in November compared with October, while […]
Three French soldiers deployed in Romania as part of NATO’s Multinational Battle Group at Cincu intervened to save a truck driver following a serious traffic accident on the A3 Bucharest–Ploiești motorway, the Romanian Ministry of Defense said. The incident occurred earlier this week as the soldiers were traveling toward Ploiești and witnessed the truck crash...
Eight contemporary art galleries will present the works of the artists they represent at the third edition of the Smallest Art Fair in Town, an event dedicated to works on paper. This edition showcases works “investigating the state of wandering, disorientation, and rediscovery in the face of uncertainty.” Under the title In Dark Woods, A […]
Parents everywhere are asking an important question: What skills will truly prepare a child for a world defined by rapid change, global uncertainty, and the rise of artificial intelligence? For decades, schools focused entirely on academics. Today, research from neuroscience, performance psychology, and leading universities shows a different reality: The students who thrive long-term are […]
